Thousands gathered in Brussels on Sunday to protest ongoing violence in Gaza.
The campaigners demand an immediate ceasefire and a just resolution for the Palestinian people. This marked the sixth such large-scale protest in Belgium since 7 October.
The protest was organised by a coalition of civil society organisations including the Belgian Palestinian Association (ABP), the Palestinian collective Beitna, Francophone and Dutch-speaking umbrellas CNCD-11.11.11, ABVV/FGTB, Solidaris, Een Andere Joodse Stem (EAJS), the Union of Progressive Jews of Belgium (UPJB), Intal and Vrede vzw.
“More than 35,000 Palestinians have already been killed since Hamas attacked Israel just over seven months ago, majority women and children,” the organisers said. “More than 79,000 people have been injured, and over 7,000 have gone missing. Nearly 2 million people have had to flee, and major parts of civil infrastructure has been completely destroyed.”
The organisers are calling for international intervention to resolve the conflict. “The international community must urgently establish a permanent ceasefire, ensure the protection of all civilians and the release of all hostages, end the siege of the Gaza Strip and allow access to international aid for Palestinians, who are currently in a dire humanitarian situation.”
Furthermore, the organisations have called upon the European Union and its member states to impose a total international military embargo on Israel and to introduce economic and diplomatic sanctions against the country. They highlighted that “Europe must fully support the investigations of the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the proceedings initiated by South Africa before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) against Israel, and prohibit all trade with Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories.”
